The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,
Will be trampled underfoot;

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The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is (A)trampled underfoot.

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The splendid crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trampled by [the foreigners’] feet.

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That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(A) drunkards,
    will be trampled(B) underfoot.

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The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

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In that day the Lord of hosts will be
For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty
To the remnant of His people,
For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

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On that day the (A)Lord of armies will become a beautiful (B)crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
A (C)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A (D)strength to those who repel the [a]onslaught at the gate.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:6 Lit battle


In that day the Lord of hosts will become a magnificent crown
And a glorious diadem to the [converted] remnant of His people,

A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment [administering the law],
A strength to those who drive back the battle at the gate.

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In that day(A) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious(B) crown,(C)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant(D) of his people.
He will be a spirit of justice(E)
    to the one who sits in judgment,(F)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle(G) at the gate.

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In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

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“Whom(A) will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?
10 (B)For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little.”

11 For with (C)stammering lips and another tongue
He will speak to this people,
12 To whom He said, “This is the (D)rest with which
You may cause the weary to rest,”
And, “This is the refreshing”;
Yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the Lord was to them,
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little,”
That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we are in agreement.
When the overflowing scourge passes through,
It will not come to us,
(E)For we have made lies our refuge,
And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.”

A Cornerstone in Zion

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, I lay in Zion (F)a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.
17 Also I will make justice the measuring line,
And righteousness the plummet;
The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled,
And your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
When the overflowing scourge passes through,
Then you will be trampled down by it.

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“To (A)whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just (B)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says,
[a](C)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through (D)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “This is the (E)place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.
13 So the word of the Lord to them will be,
[b]Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and (F)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.

Judah Is Warned

14 Therefore, (G)hear the word of the Lord, you (H)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have made a (I)covenant with death,
And with [c]Sheol we have made a [d]pact.
(J)The [e]gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made (K)falsehood our refuge and we have (L)concealed ourselves with deception.”

16 Therefore this is what the Lord [f]God says:

(M)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested (N)stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, [g]firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be [h]disturbed.
17 I will make (O)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then (P)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 Your (Q)covenant with death will be [i](R)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the (S)[j]gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its (T)trampling ground.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:10 Heb Sav lasav, sav lasav, Kav lakav, kav lakav, Zeer sham, zeer sham. These Hebrew fragments, imitating the babbling of a child, mock the prophet’s preaching.
  2. Isaiah 28:13 See note v 10. The Lord responds to their scoffing by imitating their mockery, to represent the unintelligible language of a conqueror.
  3. Isaiah 28:15 I.e., the netherworld
  4. Isaiah 28:15 As in some ancient versions; MT seer
  5. Isaiah 28:15 Or overwhelming scourge
  6. Isaiah 28:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  7. Isaiah 28:16 Lit well-laid
  8. Isaiah 28:16 Lit in a hurry
  9. Isaiah 28:18 Lit covered over
  10. Isaiah 28:18 Or overwhelming scourge


They say “To whom would He teach knowledge?
And to whom would He explain the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 
“For He says,
‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,
Here a little, there a little.’”
11 
Indeed, the Lord will teach this people [in a more humiliating way]
By [men with] stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 
He who said to them, “This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” yet they would not listen.
13 
Therefore the word of the Lord to them will be [merely monotonous repetitions]:
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,
Here a little, there a little.”
That they may go and stumble backward, and be broken, ensnared, and taken captive.

Judah Is Warned

14 
Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you arrogant men
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem!
15 
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have made an agreement,
When the overwhelming scourge passes by, it will not reach us,
For we have made lies our refuge and we have concealed ourselves in deception.”

16 Therefore the Lord God says this,

“Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone,
A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not [a]be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].(A)
17 
“I will make justice the measuring line
And righteousness the mason’s level;
Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies
And waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.
18 
“Your covenant with death will be annulled,
And your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) will not stand;
When the overwhelming scourge passes through,
Then you will become its trampling ground.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:16 The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) reads “be put to shame,” a phrase which occurs frequently in pleas to God.

“Who is it he is trying to teach?(A)
    To whom is he explaining his message?(B)
To children weaned(C) from their milk,(D)
    to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that[a];
    a little here, a little there.(E)

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(F)
    God will speak to this people,(G)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(H)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that;
    a little here, a little there(I)
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured(J) and snared and captured.(K)

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(L) you scoffers(M)
    who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(N)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(O)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(P) our refuge
    and falsehood[b] our hiding place.(Q)

16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(R) a tested stone,(S)
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(T)
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.(U)
17 I will make justice(V) the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;(W)
hail(X) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow(Y) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
    your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(Z)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(AA)
    you will be beaten down(AB) by it.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
  2. Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

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